Majority Says EBITDA Valuations Buttress Damages Award
In business tort case involving unprofitable entity trying to market a trade secret, court upholds damages award; experts’ EBITDA valuations were based on commonly used method and numerous data sources, and experts linked data to conclusions, court says.
Pike v. Tex. EMC Mgmt., LLC
In business tort case involving unprofitable entity trying to market a trade secret, court upholds damages award; experts’ EBITDA valuations were based on commonly used method and numerous data sources, and experts linked data to conclusions, court says.
Expert’s Exclusion Dooms ‘Frozen Market’ Theory and Loss of Value Claims
Court excludes expert damages calculation where expert relied solely on “temporal relationship” to show causation between loss of value in plaintiff’s business and defendants’ actions and did not account for alternative explanation for plaintiff’s loss.
Defective Lost Profits Analysis Triggers Take-Nothing Ruling
High court discusses level of evidence required to establish future lost profits with “reasonable certainty”; plaintiff did not show it lost any contracts owing to defendants’ wrongdoing and failed to show profitability specific to claimed lost contracts.
Horizon Health Corp. v. Acadia Healthcare Co.
High court discusses level of evidence required to establish future lost profits with “reasonable certainty”; plaintiff did not show it lost any contracts owing to defendants’ wrongdoing and failed to show profitability specific to claimed lost contracts.
Write Like an Expert Witness: Reports That Excel in Court
Damages experts play an important role in commercial litigation matters, including claims for lost profits, and provide valuable skills, expertise, and experience to attorneys. An expert’s report can be a foundation for the client’s damages case and an important factor in the outcome of the litigation. An effective written expert report will augment the attorney’s legal arguments about whether the plaintiff suffered damages and will be an important basis for educating the trier of fact ...
Financial Valuation: Applications and Models, + Website, 4th Edition
April 2017 978-1-119-28660-8 Hardcover (1,296 pages)
James Hitchner
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Market Data Approach ‘Particularly Unsuitable’ to Valuing Feature Film
Court rejects expert’s movie valuation based on percentage of cost of making it; market data approach is “particularly unsuitable” because simply averaging price of films and cost to create them does not yield information about value of particular film.
Court Disapproves of Use of Damages Model to Establish Liability
In false advertising suit, court finds plaintiff expert’s narrowly tailored disgorgement calculation is admissible under Daubert; but court rejects “high-end” damages model based on profits from sale of products not targeted by defendant’s advertising.
Federal Circuit reacts coolly to ‘pseudo’ lost profits argument; royalty analysis may consider profits
The Federal Circuit recently found a reasonable royalty calculation that took into account the plaintiff’s profit margin was not a lost profits analysis in disguise. The plaintiff’s expert did not try to circumvent the “but for” causation requirement that applied to a lost profits claim.
Business Valuation Update Yearbook, 2017 Edition
February 2017 PDF (349 pages)
BVR (editor)
Business Valuation Resources, LLC
Case Collapses When Experts Apply Wrong Measure of Damages
District court adopts Bankruptcy Court’s finding that expert testimony was inadmissible because the plaintiff’s experts used the wrong method to calculate damages; lost profits were not available where the plaintiff’s business was completely destroyed.
Flop film poses unique valuation challenge
A recent bankruptcy-related case in front of the California Court of Appeal raises important questions about how one quantifies the value of a dated piece of art, a film, for which there never was a market in the first place.
Expert’s Exclusion Dooms ‘Frozen Market’ Theory and Loss of Value Claims
Court excludes expert damages calculation where expert relied solely on “temporal relationship” to show causation between loss of value in plaintiff’s business and defendants’ actions and did not account for alternative explanation for plaintiff’s loss.
TiVo Research & Analytics, Inc. v. TNS Media Research
Court excludes expert damages calculation where expert relied solely on “temporal relationship” to show causation between loss of value in plaintiff’s business and defendants’ actions and did not account for alternative explanation for plaintiff’s loss.
Court Sets Aside Big Lost Profits Award Based on Bad Yardstick Analysis
Court strikes down multimillion-dollar lost profits award, finding it was based on expert testimony that was “sheer surmise and conjecture”; using yardstick method, expert claimed upstart company would have achieved 50% of sales of market leader.
Court Sets Aside Big Lost Profits Award Based on Bad Yardstick Analysis
Court reconsiders earlier order for retrial on lost value damages, finding plaintiffs “had no intention of pursuing a realistic damages award” and lack admissible evidence supporting multimillion-dollar value claims; instead, court awards one dollar.
Holder v. Howe
Court rejects expert’s movie valuation based on percentage of cost of making it; market data approach is “particularly unsuitable” because simply averaging price of films and cost to create them does not yield information about value of particular film.
Market Data Approach ‘Particularly Unsuitable’ to Valuing Feature Film
Court rejects expert’s movie valuation based on percentage of cost of making it; market data approach is “particularly unsuitable” because simply averaging price of films and cost to create them does not yield information about value of particular film.
Court Distinguishes Between Proving Fact of Damage and Amount
Court upholds lost profits award, noting at trial plaintiff established “the fact of damages” with the requisite certainty; defendant deprived plaintiff of learning about job applicants, some of whom plaintiff would have hired to perform additional work.
Flawed yardstick analysis sinks lost profits award
A drawn-out damages case in which a startup compression sportswear company sued the defendant "private label" manufacturer over an abandoned licensing deal promised to make the plaintiff rich but ultimately ended with nominal damages.
Court Deems Future Lost Profits Formula an Exercise in Speculation
Court rejects lost profits projections based on expert’s unique formula finding calculation was based on “questionable” assumptions; court also finds no “hard” evidence that damage from defendant’s conduct had long-term effect on plaintiff’s customers.
Whataburger grills Wonder Woman over logo
If next year's Wonder Woman pic is boffo, it will raise the stakes in the "friendly" talks going on between Whataburger and DC Comics over the superheroine's "stacked W" logo.
Case Collapses When Experts Apply Wrong Measure of Damages
District court adopts Bankruptcy Court’s finding that expert testimony was inadmissible because the plaintiff’s experts used the wrong method to calculate damages; lost profits were not available where the plaintiff’s business was completely destroyed.
Court Sets Aside Big Lost Profits Award Based on Bad Yardstick Analysis
Court reconsiders earlier order for retrial on lost value damages, finding plaintiffs “had no intention of pursuing a realistic damages award” and lack admissible evidence supporting multimillion-dollar value claims; instead, court awards one dollar.